Global Diversity of Marine Heatwave Evolutions

Abstract Marine heatwaves (MHWs)—discrete and prolonged warm ocean temperature extremes—can cause substantial ecological and socioeconomic impacts, and have been widely investigated based on satellite sea surface temperature observations. However, most studies emphasize lifespan‐averaged metrics or separately as onset and decay phases, without taking account of their complete temporal evolution. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of MHW diversity based on temporal evolutions, classifying global events into six types with distinct patterns in evolution, spatial distribution, and temporal variability. Notably, bimodal MHWs, which are strongly linked to El Niño events, show the largest area growth rate when compared to other types, such as the canonical type, which features a single peak and balanced growth and decay phases. Furthermore, subsurface analysis reveals a strong correlation between subsurface structure and surface evolution. Finally, using a classification approach, we quantify MHW type predictability. We find that two types demonstrate high early classification skill at the initial time‐step, indicating strong early stage predictability.